Strange Encounters
UFO sightings, airships over Texas, a sky battle over Nuremberg: famous strange encounters from history, with what people reported kept separate from what investigators found, and sources for both.
The 1561 Sky Battle over Nuremberg (April 14, 1561)
The 1561 celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg: what Hans Glaser's famous broadsheet says people saw at dawn on 14 April 1561, and what historians and atmospheric scientists make of it. Read the full story
The Great Airship Wave of 1896-97 (November 17, 1896)
The great mystery airship wave of 1896-97: what thousands of Americans reported seeing in the night sky years before the Wright brothers flew, and what historians and sceptics found. Read the full story
The Aurora, Texas Airship Crash (April 17, 1897)
The 1897 Aurora, Texas airship crash: what the Dallas Morning News reported about a ship hitting a windmill and a 'Martian' pilot, and what historians and investigators found. Read the full story
The Battle of Los Angeles (February 25, 1942)
The Battle of Los Angeles, 24-25 February 1942: what people reported when anti-aircraft guns fired about 1,440 rounds at 'enemy planes', and what the Army, Navy and historians later found. Read the full story
The Flatwoods Monster (September 12, 1952)
On 12 September 1952 witnesses in Flatwoods, West Virginia, reported a towering, hissing figure with a spade-shaped head after seeing a fireball land. Here is what they described and what investigators found. Read the full story
The Kelly-Hopkinsville 'Little Men' Siege (August 21, 1955)
The Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter of 21 August 1955: what the Sutton family reported about a night-long siege by 'little men' on their Kentucky farm, and what police and investigators found. Read the full story
The Socorro Landing (April 24, 1964)
On 24 April 1964 Socorro, New Mexico, police officer Lonnie Zamora reported an egg-shaped craft on legs that roared and flew away. Project Blue Book could not explain it. Read the full story
The Rendlesham Forest Lights (December 26, 1980)
In December 1980 US airmen near RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, reported mysterious lights in Rendlesham Forest. Britain's most famous UFO case: what witnesses reported and what investigators found. Read the full story
The Ariel School UFO Encounter (September 16, 1994)
The Ariel School encounter of 16 September 1994 in Ruwa, Zimbabwe: what 62 pupils reported seeing during their morning break, and what investigators and sceptics found. Read the full story
The Phoenix Lights (March 13, 1997)
On 13 March 1997 people across Arizona reported strange lights, including a giant V and a row of glowing orbs over Phoenix. What witnesses reported and what investigators found. Read the full story
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